After reading a blog post from a favorite blogger, Katherine Sokolowski over at Read, Write, Reflect, I was inspired to post as well.  You see, I visited my classroom this week - not to do any heavy work, but just to place the furniture and to envision my learning space for the year.  A fellow teacher stopped by, looked around, and asked, "Where's your desk?"

Last year, I made the shift to go deskless, and haven't looked back.  In trying to create a room that is for all of us, both students and teacher, I don't want areas that are "off limits" to children.  When asked where I teach, I simply replied, "I teach from everywhere," which is true.  I can often be found at a student desk conferring with a student, or sitting alongside students creating a blog entry of their own.  I have come to realize, as so many teacher role models before me, that it really is about the kids.  This one small change has made a HUGE difference in the classroom dynamics.  We are all learning together.

Not having a desk does require you to be organized, and this I hope to improve, but without rigidity.  I know the value of being flexible - being able to change course if something is not working.   And, I know my students will let me know when change is needed.  Excitement fills me as I dream of the year to o

These books are wonderfully inspiring to children and adults alike.  They speak of being true to your passion, being determined even if those around you ridicule you or don't understand.  Hats off to Andrea Beaty for Rosie Revere, Engineer, The Numberlys by William Joyce, and What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada. 

I  came across this wonderful book of Langston Hughes poems.  Illustrations are provided along with a bit of background knowledge of the time period.  Acoustic Rooster by Kwame Alexander tells the tale of believing in yourself while it sets up a conversation for jazz and some famous artists.  Pink and Say as retold by Patricia Polacco is a heartwarming true story of an unlikely friendship of two young boys during the Civil War.  This would be a good addition to a classroom discussion of this time period.

I really loved both of these books.  One by Otoshi chronicles feeling different and wishing to belong, then finding your voice in standing up for yourself and in doing so, creating a space for not only yourself, but for everyone.  Nice.

I can't say enough about Ashley Spires' The Most Magnificent Thing.  There are so many themes that are powerful: persevering, not settling for just "okay", hard work, and triumphing after failure.  These are all things that we should be passing on to our students.  I can't wait to share this one with my new charges.

I would be hard pressed to find a boy who does not love the Amulet series by Kibuishi.  I finally read the first one, and I now can appreciate the appeal.  The graphics as well as the word choice work together well.  As a teacher, I appreciate the level of inference they require. Five books have been published in the series, with #6 and #7 due out this fall.  And I hear talk of making #1 into a movie.

The Stinky Cheese Man is written by a favorite author of mine, Jon Scieszka, author of the popular Math Curse and Science Curse.  He has taken a number of fairy tales and twisted them in a way that fifth graders enjoy.

Although it has been quite a while since I posted, I have still kept up on reading.  I am now up to 37 books and will share them in these next few posts. 

In the pursuit of preparing for the school year, the following are the books that I have been poring over lately. Frank Serafini has outlined his suggestions in pacing in Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days, and gives specifics in Lessons in Comprehension.  Carol Dweck posits her theories in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.  Her research shows that intelligence is not fixed, but is pliable throughout life.  Great stuff.

These picture books all have a unique twist.  Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne shows different perspectives beautifully, Black and White by David Macauley takes the reader for a ride, The Three Pigs by David Weisner is the ultimate in rewriting the traditional story, and What's Wrong With This Book? by Richard McGuire diverges from the concept of a book entirely.  Chester by Melanie Watt is truly interactive, while Wolves by Emily Gravett has a tragic ending.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.